September 11 2013: The pain may still be raw, but the New York spirit is stronger than ever

New Yorkers simply do not give up nor too have they ever surrendered

Gone are the constant beeping of horns, the daily battles on the sidewalks to get to work and the drama that makes New York what it is today.

Instead, in their place, the air across Manhattan is filled with silence while its people stroll with heavy hearts to their desks.

Looking across the skyline, once dominated by the two great symbols that epitomised everything the American dream stood for, scores of star spangled flags flutter at half mast.

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A rose on the 9/11 Memoria

They say that time heals everything but 12 years on from the devastating 9/11 attacks which left 2,996 people dead and more than 6,000 injured it feels the hurt and pain today is as raw now as it was then.

Throughout the day moments of silence are to be observed but in truth the moment began at midnight and will not end until the clock strikes 12 in Time Square.

At the place where the Twin Towers once stood tens of thousands of people will gather to remember those who died.

Included among them will be relatives who lost their loved ones and those who, to this day, show the scars of horrific attack.

Thankfully most of us were not in Manhattan when those two planes struck but we were all privy to the attack, the momentary silence, and the scenes of devastation that followed.

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A photograph of a 9/11 victim on the 9/11 Memoria

We all watched in disbelief with confusion at the sight of people screaming, running for their lives while others, like the hundreds of firefighters, waded in to the wreckage to help.

And although the pain today may still be raw, the spirit in New York is stronger now then it ever was.

The recent events at the Boston Marathon and much closer to home in Greenwich following the brutal death of solider Lee Rigby show how terrorism still exists.

But history, like 9/11 reminds us, teaches us all that cowardice and hate filled acts don’t win through.

And as I look downtown the new One World Trade Centre pays testament to the fact.